Hospice patient count nearing zero

As the hospice’s patient census declines, so does its payroll, because staff members are leaving as patients do. Payroll has declined from $1.1 million on the day of the bankruptcy, to $595,000 by the end of next week, and to an expected $90,000 on April 22, he said.

The hospice has been able to meet payroll because of a loan of close to $1 million from the San Diego Hospice Foundation, a charitable organization closely connected to the hospice with $22 million in assets. News of that transaction came during a hearing Wednesday among creditors conducted by the U.S. trustee appointed to the case.

The hospice’s chief operating officer, William B. Parker, testified at the hearing. Parker took the job about four months ago, just as the hospice was about to announce it was under Medicare audit. He said he had been retained 18 months earlier to analyze the operations of the hospice, work he concluded in July. Parker’s wife was on the board of directors at the time and that is how hospice CEO Kathleen Pacurar got in touch with him, he said.

At the end of the court hearing, Mann set another hearing for March 27 to determine if a trustee should be appointed for the bankruptcy. Maizel said one is needed but the hospice is expected to resist that. That trustee, different from the U.S. trustee appointed to monitor the case, would be in charge of operating the business and taking possession of the property for the duration of the bankruptcy.